Amrut Bagheera (Batch No. 01)
Whisky : Amrut Bagheera (Batch No. 01)
Country/Region : India
ABV : 46%
Cask : Sherry Cask Finish
Nose : Rich dried fruits and pungent herbs. Dried dates, cherries, and overripe oranges offered up a sweet fruity sherry driven aroma. Pepper and fenugreek came to mind as the dram took an herbal turn with background notes of salt, leather, and medicinal herbs. Occasional hits of sulphur and plasticine.
Palate : Medium to light body with nice oily viscosity and notes of molasses and dried fruits. Opened right away with fruit— dried dates, bitter oranges, lime zest, and prunes. Dry woody notes of antiques accompanied rich molasses which transitioned toward milk chocolate on the back palate. Pleasant notes of lemon-lime and brown sugar appeared at the end with a subtle tobacco spice.
Finish : Lingering dried dates, brown sugar, and mild dryness
Score : 3
Mental Image : Forgotten Jar of Dried Dates
Notes : I approached this with the impression that Amrut intended it as a replacement for the excellent, but sadly discontinued, Intermediate Sherry. That was not really what this was— it was less intense though perhaps a bit more approachable.
It was hard to ignore the heady hits of sulphur that appeared on the nose. While they were mercifully missing on the palate, insofar as I really noticed, their aroma proved a bit of a distraction. This was one of the cases in which I went and looked up other reviews to see if I was the only one a bit disappointed with this release or distracted by sulphur on the nose. At least in the summer of 2021, whiskybase had several other commentators with very similar reactions to the dram and to impressions of sulphur. So I do not feel too much out on a limb or in “hot take” land with my thoughts.
Overall, this sherry finished Amrut was interesting, but I felt like something was missing. The flavor profile was a tad bitter, especially at the finish, and I kept wishing that some of those lemon-lime and brown sugar notes were more prevalent and not just hiding at the end. I would happily accept a pour of this, but I would not go out of my way. I remain high on Amrut, but this sherry finished malt was not my favorite.
Image Credit : La Maison du Whisky
